Briefs

Rep. Clarke praises Biden’s clemency to 37 on death row

December 24, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-Brooklyn). AP photo by Bebeto Matthews

U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-Brooklyn). Photo by Bebeto Matthews/AP

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CAPITOL HILL — BROOKLYN CONGRESSMEMBER Yvette D. Clarke (D-09) commended President Joe Biden for using his clemency authority on Monday, Dec. 23, to commute sentences of 37 individuals on death row so that they serve life in prison without the possibility of parole and praised his “diligent work in criminal justice reform.”

Pointing out that the Biden administration early in his term imposed a moratorium on federal executions, Rep. Clarke said, “Through his action today, the president has once again reaffirmed that capital punishment has no place in a just nation.” Clarke continued, “Throughout my career, I’ve called for an end to the federal government’s participation in this cruel, inhumane form of punishment, as well as its extensive weaponization against Black, brown and low-income communities. I’ve supported legislation like the Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act of 2023, which would prohibit the use of the death penalty as punishment for any violation of federal law, and have consistently urged our leaders to abolish the practice.”

During his campaign, President-elect Trump vowed to expand the death penalty and the eligibility requirements to include child rapists, drug and people-traffickers, among others, NBC News reported last month. Currently, 27 states still have the death penalty.